Pandanaceae

views updated May 14 2018

Pandanaceae A family of monocotyledonous (Monocotyledoneae) trees and climbers in which the leaves are strap-like, leathery, with a spiny margin, in 3 or 4 conspicuous spirals. The flowers are small, unisexual, and held in heads subtended by a large, often coloured bract (not Sararanga). The fruit is a berry or drupe, sometimes woody, united with the perianth into a globose or cylindrical head. There are 3 genera, with 675 species, confined to the Old World tropics.

Pandanus

views updated May 11 2018

Pandanus (screw pines; family Pandanaceae) A genus of trees which usually have stilt roots and open, falsely dichotomously branched crowns. The leaves are in 3 spiral ranks. The fruit heads are often reddish. Some fruits are edible (especially those occurring in New Guinea and Micronesia). Leaves are used for matting. There are about 600 species.

More From encyclopedia.com